-
PRESS STATEMENT | Civil society organisations picket outside Constitutional Court ahead of hearing on the Copyright Amendment Bill and the Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill
19 May 2025, Johannesburg – On 21 May 2025 civil society organisations Blind SA, SECTION27, Recreate SA, the South African Democratic Teachers Union (“SADTU”), the South African Guild of Actors (“SAGA”), the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA), Right 2 Know, Wikimedia South Africa and more will picket outside the Constitutional Court until…
-
PRESS STATEMENT | Constitutional Court paves the way for greater access to reading materials for persons with disabilities in landmark Copyright ruling
8 May 2025, Johannesburg – SECTION27 welcomes the Constitutional Court’s unanimous order handed down yesterday in Blind SA v President of the Republic of South Africa, declaring that section 19D of the Copyright Amendment Bill (“CAB”) be read into the Copyright Act 97 of 1978 with immediate effect until the CAB is brought into law.…
-
PRESS STATEMENT | Gauteng Department of Health to appeal court order mandating them to provide cancer treatment for patients
7 May 2025, Johannesburg – The Cancer Alliance represented by SECTION27 returned to court today in the matter of Cancer Alliance v the MEC for Health, Gauteng and 10 others. Today’s proceedings concerned an application for leave to appeal instituted by the provincial health respondents in the matter after a judgment delivered by the Court…
-
PRESS STATEMENT | No More False Choices – A Budget That Works for All Is Within Reach
The Budget Justice Coalition (BJC) welcomes the withdrawal of the proposed increase in VAT to 15.5, while raising concerns about the false choice between VAT and further social cuts. This reversal is a testament to the power of public participation, broad social consensus in pursuit of more just and sustainable economic choices. It also reaffirms…
-
PRESS STATEMENT | SECTION27 Secures R38,000 Maintenance Order for a learner impregnated by educator
SECTION27 successfully represented a learner who was sexually assaulted by an educator, securing a future maintenance order at the Nkomazi Magistrates Court on 3 April 2025. The Court ordered the educator to pay R38,000 in maintenance over the next two years. The case began in 2022 when SECTION27 first consulted with the learner, who had…
-
PRESS STATEMENT | SECTION27 and Cancer Alliance welcome Court judgment on the provision of lifesaving radiation oncology treatment for thousands of cancer patients
SECTION27 and Cancer Alliance, welcome the judgment handed down today by the Johannesburg High Court in the matter of Cancer Alliance v MEC for Health, Gauteng and 10 others, declaring the failure of the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) to provide lifesaving radiation oncology services to patients on the backlog list unlawful and unconstitutional. The…
-
PRESS STATEMENT | Limpopo Education Department must eradicate pit toilets by 31 March deadline
SECTION27 is closely monitoring whether the Limpopo Department of Education (LDoE) will meet its own 31 March 2025 deadline to eradicate and replace all pit toilets at so-called “Priority 1” schools in the province. The department missed their initial 31 March 2023 deadline to do so and has repeatedly extended this deadline. As part of…
-
PRESS STATEMENT | A Budget That Gives With One Hand and Takes With the Other
Basic education and health see gains, but austerity still prevails. The 2025 Budget maintains real investment in basic education and health care, reflecting a welcome stated commitment to funding these constitutionally protected rights as priorities. While this is a necessary step toward strengthening essential services; it comes at a cost. The increases are funded through…
-
JOINT STATEMENT | Why are South African classrooms and children becoming fast food billboards?
As civil society organisations committed to food justice, children’s health and education rights, we are alarmed by the recent handover of McDonald’s-branded ‘Mi Desk’ desks to two Cape Town schools, facilitated by the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube. This follows similar corporate-branded desk donations from Old Mutual and Hollywood Bets. We are concerned about…
-
PRESS STATEMENT | Budget 2025 delay, an opportunity for a People’s Budget amid a cost of living crisis
As South Africa faces a cost of living crisis and a growing list of national priorities, we stand at a critical juncture where revenue generation strategies must prioritise equity and social justice. We, the Budget Justice Coalition (BJC), reaffirm our position that a VAT hike–particularly a 2% increase–is a regressive and unjust approach. Instead, this…
-
JOINT STATEMENT | The African-led HIV Control Working Group response to abrupt cuts in HIV support
On 20 January 2025, the US President issued an Executive Order to pause all foreign aid funding for 90 days, which was immediately applied to the United States Government (USG) funded President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Launched in 2004, PEPFAR has been critical in global health efforts, saving over 26 million lives and…
-
JOINT STATEMENT | Upholding womxn’s rights to access abortifacients: Clarifying pharmacists’ role in reproductive healthcare
The South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC) has issued an e-Note confirming that pharmacists may not refuse to dispense abortifacients (a drug that induces abortion) due to personal beliefs or moral reasons. This e-Note comes after 13 NGOs and legal centres addressed an open letter to the SAPC and the National Department of Health. The letter…
-
ConCourt interim order favours the blind and visually impaired in Copyright matter
On 13 December 2024, the Constitutional Court handed down an interim order in the matter Blind SA v President of the Republic of South Africa. The Court temporarily amends the Copyright Act 98 of 1978 to include an exception to copyright for persons who are blind and visually impaired, pending the Court’s final decision. Blind…
-
A big win for children’s rights in landmark coal case
SECTION27 represented the Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance (VEJA) in an amicus intervention in the groundbreaking constitutional case that sought to set aside the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy’s decision, which the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) concurred to, to procure 1 500 MW of new coal-fired power as stipulated in the 2019…
-
Constitutional case on copyright and access to books for the blind and visually impaired to be heard on Thursday, 28 November
On Thursday, 28 November 2024, the Constitutional Court will urgently hear Blind SA’s case, requesting that exceptions to copyright that were previously read into the Copyright Act, be resuscitated. These exceptions would allow persons who are blind and visually impaired to convert books into formats, like braille, without the consent of the copyright holder. In…
